Layer upon Layer: The Position of Inter-municipal Cooperation in the Spanish Quasi-Federal System—The Case of Catalonia

Abstract

The Spanish local system is characterized by strong fragmentation and a large number of local territorial entities in a quasi-federal system. This implies the interactions of different overlapping layers of institutions and multi-governmental organizations. Thus, Spain, and Catalonia can be seen as a paradigmatic example of the way cooperation works and as a suitable case study for analysing the institutional position of inter-municipal cooperation in a complex system. In this chapter, we explore the interactions of the different agents in order to identify and analyse the key factors and explanatory variables of the diverse relationships and ties.